Barcelona have assured Gordon’s agent that the England international will be registered in time to be available for the club’s opening La Liga match against Elche on 23 August (CEST), according to Sport.
Gordon’s representative recently travelled to Barcelona for talks with the club’s sporting management about the transfer market and the player’s registration. The meeting also reflected the positive relationship between the two parties, who are expected to continue working together.
Gordon joined Barcelona on 29 May but has not yet been given a squad number. His registration is currently one of the club’s main priorities after he became their biggest signing of the summer.
Barcelona believe there will be no registration problems, with a number of departures expected to create room within their salary limit. Ferran Torres is among the players whose exit could provide significant financial relief.
The club have already registered players who were part of last season’s squad. In the coming hours, Barcelona are expected to remove Ronald Araujo from their registration list after his move to Liverpool. That change would create substantial salary space.
Barcelona are also set to cancel Ferran Torres’ registration, with the forward close to completing a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Other players who are not expected to be registered include Hector Fort and Casado, both of whom need to leave the club.
Baldeji will also be deregistered because of a long-term injury. Barcelona believe the combined effect of those measures will provide enough room to register new arrivals, including Gordon.
The club’s first La Liga fixture of the new season comes on 23 August, leaving Gordon and Barcelona’s other international players with a relatively short period to prepare. Despite that limited preparation time, the expectation is that Gordon should be ready to feature against Elche.
Barcelona have experienced repeated difficulties with player registrations in recent seasons, but their financial position has improved. They have returned to operating under the 1:1 rule, which allows them greater flexibility when registering players, although further work is still required to meet the club’s salary limits.
Gordon is expected to become one of Barcelona’s highest-paid players, meaning the club must continue creating space in its wage bill. The sporting management is also waiting to complete deals for Cancelo, Rodri and, potentially, a centre-forward.
As a result, Barcelona may need to oversee more departures than currently expected before the squad is finalised. The club’s assurance to Gordon’s agent indicates that they believe those exits and registration changes will be sufficient to make the player eligible for their first league match.
Barcelona’s recent registration problems have placed particular pressure on the club’s transfer planning, but the departures of Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres, together with the other planned changes, are expected to give them greater room to manoeuvre this summer.
